FAQ's

"The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have."

Before Arrival Frequently Asked Questions

Q. I would like to study/spend a semester studying in Germany. Where can I find general information ?

The addresses and courses of individual universities can be found in the Higher Education Compass of the Association of Universities and other Higher Education Institutions:
If you want to do your studies or part of them in Germany, you can contact the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The DAAD can tell you about opportunities for study and sponsorship in Germany and, as an intermediary organization, offers scholarships for foreign students, graduates and academics from Federal Foreign Office funds.
If you know at which university you want to study, you can of course contact this university directly.
Ask to the DAAD Virutual Advisor. Daad Virtual Advisor

Q. What is the procedure for applying for a student visa?

If you plan to study in Germany, you have to submit an application for a student visa to the respective German mission abroad. Documents have to be presented proving inter alia that the applicant has been accepted for studies by the university. The German mission abroad will then forward the visa application for an opinion to the foreigners authority in the town housing the university.
The German mission abroad can only issue the visa for entry once the foreigners authority has given its approval.
Details on the documents to be presented with your visa application are often available on the webpage of the competent German mission abroad or directly from the mission itself.
Websites
Islamabad, Pakistan. (more detail visit Student Visa section)
Karachi, Pakistan. (more detail visit Student Visa section)

Q. Who is responsible for the decision on the granting of a visa?

The decision on the granting of a visitor/business visa is taken by the competent German mission abroad. It also decides on granting visas for longer stays and/or to take up work or studies. A visa can however only be issued with the approval of the foreigners authority concerned.
If a visa application is rejected, the applicant has the option of writing to the visa department of the competent German mission abroad asking for the reasons leading to the rejection of your application (known as remonstration). Please note that you have to submit the remonstration yourself.

Q. I want to study in Germany and bring my wife and children to Germany during my studies. Is that possible?

Basically, no. The reunification of families of foreign students is usually only considered if the students belong to one of the following three groups:
Postgraduate students;
Scholarship holders;
Nationals of the following states: all EU states, Andorra, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Liechtenstein, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, USA.
In all other cases, dependants can only join foreign students in cases of particular hardship, above all if the foreign student is dependent on his/her spouse for his/her livelihood.

For families to join students in Germany, the student has to be able to support himself/herself and his/her family without social assistance. The spouse who joins the student is generally not permitted to engage in regular employment

Q. I am not a EU national and want to live in Germany with my German spouse. What do we have to do?

First of all you have to apply for a visa for family reunification (subsequent immigration of spouses) from the competent German mission abroad.
Documents required include an authenticated marriage certificate as well as the German passport of the German spouse.
The German mission will forward the visa application to the foreigners authority in the place where you want to live in Germany for an opinion.
The German mission abroad can only issue a visa for entry once the foreigners authority has given its approval. The final residence permit will be issued by the foreigners authority in Germany once you are there.
Details on the documents to be presented with your visa application are often available on the webpage of the competent German mission abroad or directly from the mission itself.

Q. Does my foreign spouse have to provide proof of German language skills when applying for a visa (i.e. before arriving in Germany?)

Yes. Under the amended Immigration Act which entered into force on 28 August 2007, foreign spouses have to prove they have at least a basic knowledge of German. For detailed information on this, please click on the link below to the website of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. You can also request further information directly from the German diplomatic missions in the respective country.
weblink : Federal Office for Migration and Refugees

Q. When applying for a student visa, how can I prove that my financing is secure?

Financing can be proved by presenting the income and financial circumstances of parents, by a declaration of commitment in line with Article 66-68 Aufenthaltsgesetz (German Foreigners Act) made by a person with sufficient assets or income, by paying a security into a blocked account in Germany, or by depositing an annually renewable bank guarantee at a bank in Germany.
Proof of sufficient funds is also taken as satisfied if the stay is being financed by a scholarship from public funds or a scholarship from an organization recognized in Germany or a scholarship financed by public funds in the country of origin, if the Federal Foreign Office, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) or another German organization granting scholarships has been responsible for providing the link to a German higher education institution

Q. Do I need a visa for Germany?

On the Federal Foreign Office webpage you can find out whether you need a visa for visits to Germany and the Schengen states of up to 90 days (120 days as per new law). Foreigners wanting to stay longer than 120 days in Germany, who want to work or study in Germany, automatically need a visa.

Q. My visa application has been rejected without a reason being given. What can I do?

According to Section 77 (2) of the Foreigners Act, no reason has to be given when a visa application is rejected. You do however have the option of writing to the visa department of the competent German mission abroad asking for the reasons leading to the rejection of your application (known as remonstration). Please note that you have to submit the remonstration yourself.
According to Section 71 (2) of the Foreigners Act, responsibility for visa affairs lies with the competent German mission abroad. The mission bases its decision on the granting of visas on the provisions of the Foreigners Act. Often applications are rejected because the purpose of the visit lacks plausibility and there is insufficient proof of the applicant's readiness to return.

Q. Can I work during my period of study in Germany to finance myself?

In principle you can take up to three months (90 working days) of paid employment in any academic year. In exceptional cases, this can be restricted by the foreigners authority responsible for your place of residence.
Paid employment is not permitted during preparatory language courses or during other preparatory courses.

Q. Do I need a visa if I want to study/work in Germany?

As a general rule, all foreigners staying in Germany for more than 90 days wanting to work or study in Germany need a visa before entering Germany.

Q. I need an application form for my visa. Where can I get one?

The visa application form is often available on the webpage of the competent German mission abroad to which you must submit your application. There you can find out what other documents are to be presented with the application.

Q. I will be on a short stopover in Germany while waiting for my onward flight in the international transit area of a German airport. Do I need a transit visa?

Entry clearance requirements are dependent on the citizenship and the resident status of the applicant. Due to its location at the heart of Europe, Germany is an important transit country. The vast majority of travellers do not need a visa when airtransitting through Germany. However, citizens of some countries do need an airport transit visa.
Please note that an airport transit visa only allows a short stay in the international transit area, neither leaving the airport's international transit area nor overnight stays are possible.

Q. I have submitted a visa application at a German mission abroad and want to know about how my application is progressing. Who can I ask?

You have to contact the mission where you submitted your application directly.

Q. What is the procedure for applying for a work visa?

Foreign nationals as a general rule need a residence permit (which also grants access to the labour market) to take up employment in Germany. If you intend to commence work in Germany you have to apply for such a permit from the competent German mission abroad before entering Germany.
When the application is submitted to the competent German mission abroad, the mission forwards the application for decision to the foreigners authority in the place where the job in Germany is to be commenced. The foreigners authority has to coordinate its decision with the employment office that is to issue the permit.
The German mission abroad can only issue the visa for entry when the foreigners authority has granted its approval. Details on the documents to be presented with your application are often available on the webpage of the competent German mission abroad or directly from the mission itself.
Nationals of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the United States may appy for the necessary permit after arrival in Germany

Q. For my visa application I need an invitation from a relative/acquaintance living in Germany. What form does such an invitation have to take?

In most cases, invitation is understood to mean a formal declaration of commitment. Your relative/acquaintance can usually get the required form at the German foreigners authority covering his/her place of residence or from the local agency for public order (Ordnungsamt).

Q. What countries are Schengen states?

Germany, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland have acceded to the Schengen Agreement and are thus Schengen states.
Holders of valid Schengen visas (text on the visa reads "valid for Schengen states" in the respective language of the issuing country) or a residence permit of a member state can stay in the entire Schengen area for up to three months per half year (usually without having to go through passport control at internal borders).

Q. How long can I stay with my visitor/tourist/business visa in Germany and the Schengen states?

The visa sticker itself stipulates how many days in the given period you can stay in Germany and the other Schengen States. The maximum, should your visa stipulate this, is 90 days (within half a year). The visa sticker also stipulates how many times you are allowed to enter the Schengen area (1, 2 or multiple).
Once you have used the full 90 days per half year you have to wait at least three months (calculated from the day on which you left Germany or another Schengen State at your last time) before travelling to Germany or another Schengen state again.

Q. My visa was issued by a German mission abroad. Can I use it to travel to other countries in Europe? OR Do I have to enter and leave via Germany or can I do so elsewhere?

Yes, you can. Holders of a Schengen visa (text on the visa reads "valid for Schengen states") or a residence permit of a member state can stay in the entire Schengen area for up to three months per half year. The Schengen area consists of the following countries:
Germany, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
The Schengen visa has to be applied for at the foreign mission of the country which is the main destination. The country of entry and departure is not the determining factor. The entry into and departure from the Schengen area can thus occur at any border crossing.

Q. want to study in Germany. Where can I apply for a scholarship?

The Federal Foreign Office itself does not offer any scholarships or travel grants directly, rather has passed this task to independent intermediary organizations which it provides with funding from the federal budget to implement various programmes.
You should contact the German Academic Exchange Service(DAAD). The DAAD offers scholarship programmes and can give advice on study opportunities in Germany.

Q. As a foreign academic, I am interested in spending time doing research in Germany. Who can tell me more?

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) is the right port of call. The Foundation supports foreign academics engaging in research in Germany using Federal Foreign Office funding. Alexander von Humbolt Foundation (AvH)
The Fulbright Commission offers scholarships to American and German academics, students and teachers in the partner country.
Fulbright Commission

Q. I want to study in Germany. Will my German qualification be recognized abroad?

You have to ask the relevant agencies in the country concerned whether your German qualification will subsequently be recognized abroad.

Q. I have completed my degree abroad and now want to continue my studies in Germany. Will my foreign qualification be recognized in Germany?

Q. The person I issued an invitation for has had their visa application rejected. What can I do?

The notification sent to the applicant by the mission abroad states not only that the visa application has been unsuccessful, but also gives the grounds on which it was rejected and information on the applicant's right to appeal the decision.If a visa application is rejected, the applicant has one month to appeal in writing ("remonstrate") to the mission abroad. The mission abroad will then reconsider the application.If the mission still concludes that the applicant does not meet the conditions for obtaining a visa, it will again set out in detail in writing the reasons why it rejected the application in a Remonstrance Notice.The applicant may appeal this decision within one month by filing an action with the Administrative Court in Berlin.
The applicant also has the option of appealing to the Court (also within one month) against the initial decision instead of remonstrating to the mission.
For reasons of data protection, information about individual visa applications may only be provided to the applicant personally or to a person whom the applicant has authorized in writing to receive such information.

Q. My visa has been refused. When can I apply another time?

You may apply again at any time, though you may wish to consider the reasons you were refused and whether a fresh application will contain anything new that would lead to a different outcome. If you re-apply but with no change in circumstances, we may invite you not to proceed with your application. Applicants who have previously been refused a visa will need to make an individual appointment, and should not submit their application as part of a group.

Q. Does the visa guarantee my entry to Germany?

You should not experience any problems on arrival in Germany, providing that: 1. you have given the visa officer all information relevant to your visit to Germany. 2. you have not, with or without your knowledge, given false information to support your application, and 3.?there has been no change to your circumstances/itinerary, or reasons for going to Germany, since the visa was issued.

On arrival, a border police officer may ask you to show evidence of your reasons for coming to Germany. This may include travel tickets, evidence of funding, letters from your sponsor or business contacts you are visiting, or schools you will study at. You should carry in your hand luggage copies of all documents that you showed to the visa officer.

Q. Can I use the visa to enter Germany more than one time?

German visas are normally valid for single entry only. If you have a multiple entry visa you can use the visa for more than one travel to Germany/Schengen within the validity date shown on the visa. A Schengen visa with multiple entries allows the holder to stay max. 90 days within 6 months.

Q. If my travel plans are delayed, can the validity of my visa be changed?

No, you are asked to apply for a new visa.

Q. I am already in Germany? Who should I contact for advice about immigration matters?

If you, or the person you are enquiring about, is already in Germany, you should contact the local Immigration Office (Ausländerbehörde).

Q. My visa was issued by a German mission abroad. Can I use it to travel to other countries in Europe? Do I have to enter and leave via Germany or can I do so elsewhere?

Yes, you can. Holders of a Schengen visa (text on the visa reads "valid for Schengen states") or holders of a residence permit of a Schengen state can stay in the entire Schengen area according to the validity of their visa (max. 90 days per half year). The Schengen area consists of the following countries: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Slowakia and Cech Republic.

However, holding a German Schengen Visa Germany has to be the main purpose of your travel. As the Schengen visa has to be applied for at the foreign mission of the country which is the main destination.

Q. How are you going to finance your studies?

In order to get a visa you must be able to prove that you can finance your studies. At least the first year of your studies must be completely financed.

The German authorities assume a certain minimum amount which you must have at your disposal each month. At the moment this lies at 670 Euro per month which comes to a total of 8,040 Euro for the first year of studies. However it is possible that proof of a higher amount might be asked for.

Proof of financing can be shown in different ways. It is imperative that you enquire at the German Embassy in your country in what form the proof should be shown!